Endless route

Chapter 264 34. Entering the mud and fear

Li Wu asked Master Zhao for instructions via the intercom. Xiao Wu gave Zheng Yun a brief introduction, but only reported Master Zhao's name as Zhao Qiufu, and nothing more happened after that.

Zheng Yun could smell something.

This Zhao Qiufu should be a leading figure in the archaeological circle, so much so that Xiao Wu thought that as long as he reported his name, he would know who he was without any further explanation.

But I have never heard of it.

I have only been in the industry for a long time, and this industry is not that industry. The two of them are not in the same circle.

After a while, Li Wu had completed his report, and Mr. Zhao would be back soon, asking them to wait a moment.

Zheng Yun looked around.

Therefore, there are more than twenty members of the archaeological team at the entrance of the darkroom. The entire underground waterway is occupied by their equipment, all of which are modern technological equipment, including various detectors.

Look back behind you.

The Western-faced Yin Bing was politely 'isolated' in the distance by the middle-aged man. Even if Zheng Yun held a set of passes for the Fuen Archaeological Team, he could not let the Yin Bing hear the key.

"Zheng Yun, you said you know the route, how do you know it?" the middle-aged woman asked while waiting.

"I only know a rough idea."

Zheng Yun chose to reply vaguely.

After hearing this answer, Li Wu and others didn't ask any more questions. They turned around and chatted with Zheng Yun about their daily life, asking how long it took them to come here and whether they encountered any danger by boat.

Waited for a while.

The mud below the darkroom began to surge. The archaeological team members wearing diving suits climbed up, their bodies covered with black mud. Every move caused the mud to dissolve in the water.

The deep silt shimmers with oil.

Make them look like they were drilled from oil.

Li Wu and others quickly got started. They covered the person with a transparent cover, took out the buzzing and vibrating equipment, shook all the mud down, and then sucked it into the storage device.

Five or six people help one person clean up, and a team member can be sucked clean from top to bottom in two or three minutes.

"Really professional."

Ji Dao was stunned for a moment.

Zheng Yun watched one team member after another dig out of the mud. If they were not cleaned in this way and allowed to come up and move around, the entire underground waterway would be too turbid to stay in.

"Fun has a young man here?"

The third person who came up was Zhao Qiufu. He stretched out his hand to wipe his diving goggles, revealing a pair of old and sharp eyes, with eagle-shaped white eyebrows raised upwards and looking around.

He stared at Zheng Yun at a glance.

Scanning his eyes sideways, Zhao Qiufu lowered his head to shake off the mud on his body, then raised his head and glanced at Jidao, pointing at Jidao and praising: "This boy is blessed with a round head and big ears, and a few points on his face." Buddha statue.”

"What?"

Jidao's expression changed.

He was born in the Tiangong Taoist Temple and has been a Taoist since birth. But this man actually has a Buddha statue?

"Master Zhao said you have a Buddha statue on your face." Xiao Wu quickly added, thinking that Jidao really didn't hear clearly.

"You little kid doesn't understand good words."

Zhao Qiufu waved his hand and said no more to Ji Dao.

Zheng Yun quickly gave Ji Dao a hand. This Zhao Qiufu was estimated to be sixty or seventy years old. He was strong and energetic, but he was indeed a grandfather. If Ji Dao had spoken against him, he would have been so angry that he would blow his beard and stare. .

Ji Dao was also aggrieved. He was scolded suddenly, just like being kicked while walking.

"What did Senior Zhao discover this time?"

Li Wu and others asked about the results of this exploration.

"Routes 3, 4, 7, 11, and 23 are all wrong. Please cross them off the map."

Zhao Qiufu wiped his gloves and said softly.

"Yeah." Li Wu took out a drawing and drew lines.

At this moment, Jidao came up to take a look, then smiled softly and returned to Zheng Yun with a smile on his face.

"..."

Zheng Yun's eyelids twitched slightly.

Ji Dao's temper is indeed like this. If he doesn't let him speak, then he won't speak, but he can still contradict him.

Fortunately, Ji Dao did not intend to cause trouble. The archaeological team was also busy asking questions, and no one heard his laughter.

The archaeological team has to go through several processes.

All archaeological team members have to go aside for a simple physical examination, hand in the video recorded by the action camera, briefly explain the findings of the mission, and then sign the mission statement.

After they finished their work, Li Wu began to introduce:

"Senior Zhao, Zheng Yun and Jidao from the Fuen Archaeological Team just arrived. They probably know a route to the backyard of the Nanzedu Commandery."

"Do you know the route?" Zhao Qiufu looked at the two of them again.

"I know a little bit." Zheng Yun nodded.

"How did you know this?" Zhao Qiufu picked up a flashlight and looked at Zheng Yun and the others carefully.

"Known it from somewhere else."

Zheng Yun worked very hard to deceive others.

"Where else?"

Zhao Qiufu was different from others. Zheng Yun's words had no effect in dissuading him and he continued to look at him and ask questions.

"Just somewhere else."

Zheng Yun himself was a little nervous. If Mr. Zhao asked a few more questions, he would really be unstoppable.

"other……"

Zhao Qiufu still wanted to ask more questions.

At this moment, Li Wu's intercom suddenly sounded: "Li Wu, send a few people down. Mr. Sun's team has lost contact. You follow the rope and go over to see the situation."

Hear this.

There was sudden silence in the field.

Everyone looked at Zhao Qiufu and Li Wu, while Li Wu looked at Zhao Qiufu with a solemn expression, waiting for him to make a decision.

Losing contact is no small matter.

Especially in this environment.

The loss of connection may be that the device signal is blocked by mud, but it may also be that something has happened, and if something goes wrong, it will be a big deal!

"Why are you still standing there? Send a team to look for it. You can't expect me to go down as soon as I come up. I have to take a break even if I dig out the excrement."

Zhao Qiufu waved his hand and let them go.

"Okay, senior, rest for now. I will lead the team down to look for it." Li Wu took a deep breath and picked up the tablet from the side.

"You are from the second group and cannot lead the team. Isn't there a boy from the first group? Let him lead you down."

Zhao Qiufu turned back and pointed at Zheng Yun's chest.

Zheng Yun is indeed in a group, and the rules of the archaeological team are indeed that only one group can lead the team, and the second group cannot.

"Master Zhao, this is inappropriate..."

The middle-aged woman spoke quickly.

"Rules are rules."

Zhao Qiufu did not listen to the woman and waved to Zheng Yun: "Don't you know the route? Help them find the person named Sun. After you find it, you can explore on your own."

"Can."

Zheng Yun nodded.

He is willing to take over the task of saving people, even if it takes time, he can't just ignore it, especially his own people.

"Okay, get ready to go. Where's my chair? I have to lie down and take a rest. By the way, I have one more request. You have to keep the intercom on for me to listen."

Zhao Qiufu held his waist and walked to a narrow corner behind a pile of equipment. There was actually a lounge chair placed under the water with stones, and there was even a tea table next to it.

He curled up and got into a small corner, put the walkie-talkie on the tea table, lay down on the chair and closed his eyes, like an old man basking in the sun in the garden and listening to the radio.

Zheng Yun looked slightly silent.

This old man is really a strange person. He actually lay down on a chair and fell asleep in such an environment. Previously, he commented that Jidao's words were like Buddha, and he was somewhat touched by gods and ghosts.

Maybe this senior and Ji Dao are the same person. If they didn't have verbal friction, they might be able to talk together.

"Then let's set off as soon as possible. Zheng Yun, just sign here." Li Wu handed over the tablet and asked Zheng Yun to electronically write his name in the column of attendance captain.

Zheng Yun nodded and followed the instructions, followed by Jidao and others. Anyone who goes down from here must write their names.

Except for the signature.

Also check whether the oxygen is sufficient, calculate the diving time, distribute relevant equipment, wear sports cameras, etc.

When it was the ghost general's turn, Zheng Yun was a little confused. He had never asked the ghost generals to write before, and he didn't know if they could write.

"Why are you still lingering here? Can't you go down and write again?" Zhao Qiufu suddenly urged him.

"good."

Li Wu quickly ordered five or six people to set off.

Zheng Yun looked back at Zhao Qiufu, feeling a little subtle in his heart, but he couldn't think too much at the moment, so he just took this opportunity to lead the Yin soldiers and ghost generals down.

"The composition of the deep mud is complex, corrosive and slightly unknown. It contains particles of unknown metals, a lot of undegraded debris, and some magnetism."

Li Wu had been there several times. While telling Zheng Yun some experiences, he plunged into the mud, grabbed the rope and used a swimming posture, using his hands and feet together two or three times to submerge himself into the mud.

Zheng Yun and others followed closely behind.

As soon as my head got into the mud, I couldn't see anything anymore. It was all pitch black. Even if I had a flashlight in my hand, it couldn't provide any illumination.

The archaeological team's solution was to use head-mounted searchlights. Zheng Yun and the others each took one and installed seven lights on their helmets, which at least allowed people to see the mud in front of them clearly.

The temperature of the mud was almost the same as that of the water. It stayed around 20 degrees during the window period. They had already accepted the temperature when they entered the water, and they didn't feel cold when they suddenly got into the mud.

But the environment is still too harsh.

This mud is indescribably weird, with an oily texture, and is shiny black when illuminated by searchlights. The body feels extremely weird, slippery and squeezing the whole body.

The mud is soft.

But the chest pressure is not small.

It makes people feel breathless.

People with claustrophobia should definitely not enter a place like this, because there is no room in the mud. There is mud in all directions, and there is no breathing room at all.

Complete closure.

It's all mud.

The only thing they could see clearly was the orange-red rope in front of them, which was extremely bright in color and could be dazzling under the searchlight, providing the direction of travel.

This rope is very thick.

It's orange-red and looks like blood.

Everyone in the team must hold on to this rope tightly and fasten it with a waist lock. Life or death depends on the rope.

In addition, even the feet of the person in front of him cannot be seen. Even if Zheng Yun speeds up and is kicked by the person in front of him, he can only feel the touch and cannot see the actual object at all.

If you want to see something clearly in this environment, you must put your most fragile eyes tightly against the object and squeeze out the mud between the two to barely see.

So unless the person in front kicked Zheng Yun's diving mask, Zheng Yun would only see mud.

"If you find it dazzling, you can turn the searchlight to the darkest level, or even turn it off." Li Wu's voice sounded from the headphones, which seemed dull in the mud.

They checked the intercom channel before setting off so that everyone could communicate with each other.

"good."

Zheng Yun took a deep breath.

It was the first time he entered this kind of environment, his heart beat faster, his adrenaline surged, and he was filled with fear.

Bang bang bang.

The heartbeat sounds abnormally obvious.

He completely lost sight and hearing.

Spatial perception is also lost.

Zheng Yun knew that he had climbed to the bottom of the secret passage and the rope had just turned a corner, but if he went around the maze a few more times, he would definitely turn around and could only use the compass to confirm the direction.

It's really anti-human.

This environment is like they were buried alive. Even if they were put in a coffin and buried alive, it would be scary, let alone this time they were not even given a coffin, it was a pure burial alive.

This kind of torture was rare in ancient times.

Because it can really drive people crazy.

Human beings have a fear of this kind of environment engraved in their genes. It is the experience summed up by human beings during countless years of evolution. This muddy environment is not suitable for human activities.

So no one can control fear.

Genes are fighting to protect them.

But they insist on seeking death.

Thinking of this, Zheng Yun looked up at the mud in front of him, grabbing the orange-red rope with both hands and crawling forward. He couldn't help but respect the archaeological team Zhao Qiufu. Not only a young man, but a man of his age could actually enter.

They just climbed along the rope.

The orange-red color can dilute fear.

But in front of the archaeologists who were looking for a way, there was no such rope. There was only completely dark mud in front of them.

"We take a break every ten minutes to count the number of people. This is the rule set by Mr. Sun to explore in the mud to avoid loss of people and panic."

Li Wu kept talking through the headphones.

Xiao Wu and a few others he brought with him also kept calming their emotions through dialogue, which was also the rule set by the archaeological team.

They have to talk.

Otherwise, you won’t be able to stay in this environment for long.

Zheng Yun didn't say much, because behind him was Jidao, and behind him were the four ghost generals. They were very close to each other, and Zheng Yun almost stepped on Jidao's shoulders.

He could feel Ji Dao all the time.

Nobuyoshi can also feel the ghost general.

They can quickly gather together if there is a situation.

But Zheng Yun still had trouble suppressing his heartbeat, because no one knew whether there was some kind of evil in the mud.

In this extreme environment, not to mention being a monster, even a mud snake could easily eat them, even if the snake was in front of them, they would not know it.

Not visible at all.

There is absolutely no way to prevent it.

Professor Zhang has mentioned before that swamp ecology is an ecology that humans currently understand very little about. There are very large creatures with the same body temperature as those in swamps. There is no sound when moving in swamps, and they can also find food through sound waves.

For example, they saw the strange creature that dragged half of the explorer's body into the mud next to the east wall.

But not until I dug into the muck myself.

Only then did Zheng Yun truly realize the difficulty of exploring the ruins of Nanze Ancient City this time, because now they were in a relatively closed underground waterway, but they may not have such conditions in the future.

After all, there is a sewer in Ancient City No. 1, which can relatively isolate some creatures and not be too dangerous, but what about Ancient City No. 2, 3, and 4, which are suspected to be dangerous places for ghosts and ghosts?

The existence of those ancient city ruins is a mystery in itself. They have no blueprints at all. If they want to find the truth of the mystery, they have to dig into the swamp to search like now.

What to do then.

I guess I can only use steel pipes.

The method of the Western expedition team is accurate. It is the safest to hit the steel pipe to go down. There is almost no other way.

"Zheng Yunji, Zheng Guijiu and the others can also say a few words, otherwise it will be difficult to hold on here."

Li Wu's voice sounded again.

They had gone around in several directions along the rope, but only Zheng Yun occasionally spoke, and no one else spoke. They had managed to survive in silence until now.

"fine."

Zheng Yun couldn't explain.

The Yin soldiers and ghost generals couldn't speak at all, let alone just a few minutes. Even if they crawled down there for several days, they wouldn't be able to speak, and they wouldn't even react until they were about to die.

"Wait a minute, why did you Mr. Sun take this route? Do you know where this road leads?"

Ji Dao suddenly asked.

He had been holding the tablet in his hand and directly attached it to the diving goggles to read. At the same time, he was calculating the direction in his mind, comparing it with the ancient city drawings one by one, and tracking their current position at all times.

There are distance markers on the rope.

As long as the direction is accurate, it can be positioned accurately.

But Jidao discovered a problem. This route was abnormal and the archaeological team should not go in this direction.